Frodo Returns
by Abbl2
Summary: Three years ago, Frodo and Gandalf left with the remaining Elves of Rivendell for the undying lands and a new adventure. But the friends they left behind are about to embark on another great adventure, and they aren't going to miss out. Sorry for those obsessed with LotR, I've only seen the movies, so I'll get some facts wrong.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Lord of the Rings fic. I have only watched all the movies that are currently made, and so know very little about the series. So I will be getting facts wrong left and right. But I really do love the series, so I just started writing, and thus the first chapter was born. It really made me sad that Frodo and Gandalf left, so this is my hopeful story. Please review! The only characters I own are Merry and Pip's wives. Otherwise, I don't own lotr. I am just playing this by ear for now.**

It's been three years since Frodo and Gandalf and Bilbo left on the ship to the undying lands, seven years since the fellowship returned from their quest of the ring. Sam, Merry and Pippin were all married and Sam and Merry had children. Aragorn was bringing Gondor to a wonderful peace that was sure to last for many years. Legolas had returned to his kin, as had Gimli, although the two of them see each other occasionally. Besides that, it had been years since the other members of the fellowship had last seen each other, save for Merry, Pippin and Sam, who saw each other frequently. So when Aragorn sent out invitations for a feast to celebrate the anniversary of their victory, as well as the birth of his son Eldrion, everyone was excited. They were going to be reunited after all these years. The only sad part about the celebration was that it was missing some important members. Frodo and Gandalf had been gone for years, and while everyone had moved on from their departure, the group still missed their friends. However, in spite of this, Aragorn had a surprise for them.

. . .

"Rosie! Have you seen my jacket? You know the brown leather one with the two pockets?"

Rosie rolled her eyes at her husband; he was always losing things. She walked into their shared room to find it in disarray, as Sam had thrown their things all about the place.

"Sam!" she exclaimed. Sam looked up at her guiltily.

"I'm sorry, Rosie," he said. "It's just that I couldn't find it and it's my best one and I need it for the feast, and… and…" he sunk down on their bed in a disgruntled heap. "I'm ruddy horrible at finding things." Rosie sighed, and smiled.

"Well, luckily for you, I think I might know where it is," she said. Sam sat up quickly.

"Really?" he said. "Rosie, you're the most wonderful wife a man could have." Rosie giggled.

"Why Sam, you flatter me," she exclaimed. Sam rushed up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She blushed. Even after six years of marriage and two wonderful children, Sam was as respectful to her as the day he met her, not even kissing her properly without her permission. Seeing her blush, Sam blushed as well. _He was so cute when he looked embarrassed!_ Rosie thought.

"Go check the back of your chair at the table," she told him. He smiled lovingly at her and hurried to the kitchen. Sure enough, Rosie could hear his exclamation of excitement as he found his jacket. He hurried back with it scrunched in his hand.

"Thank you, Rosie!" he hugged her, and gave her another peck on the cheek, causing the both of them to blush once more. He rushed over to his bag, and put the jacket in it. As he was checking his essentials, he looked up at his wife.

"Are you sure you want to come with me?" he asked. "It's a long journey to Gondor. Plus, the children will be a hassle along the way. You sure you're up for it?"

Rosie scoffed at her husband playfully. "Me, not being up for a journey across the country? You doubt me, husband?" Sam blushed for the third time that day.

"I'm sorry," he blurted. "I didn't-"

"It's ok, Sam," Rosie soothed. "I was only teasing. But I do still want to go with you, as well as bring the children. I have long waited to meet the other saviors of Middle Earth, seeing as my husband is one of them."

"Was," Sam corrected softly. Rosie shook her head.

"As long as I have a say, and I do," she walked up to him and put her arms around his shoulders. "You, Samwise Gamgee, are the greatest savior, hobbit and husband Middle Earth has ever seen." And then she kissed him full on the lips. Sam's eyes widened for a moment, but then he relaxed and kissed her back, his arms holding her close, so that when Rosie broke the kiss, he continued to hold her, their foreheads touching as they gazed at each other lovingly. Rosie's blond curls shrouded their faces from the outside world. They were content.

"Alright, love," Sam said softly. "I am just worried, what with the orc's and everything." Rosie giggled.

"Yes, but I know if something happens, you, Merry and Pippin will be there to protect us." Sam groaned.

"Oh yes," he grumbled. "Merry and Pippin." It's not that he didn't care about the cousins, or that he didn't enjoy their company, but they were always acting foolish, not respectable at all. Sure, they had grown up after the quest, but they were still Merry and Pippin, although Sam treasured their friendship. Now that they were married it was better; Merry even had a little girl who played with their youngest son. Yes, they had adjusted well back to life at the shire.

Rosie raised an eyebrow. "What about them?" Sam sighed, exasperated, and turned back to his bag.

"Nothing, nothing dearest," he said. "It's just that we best be prepared for their antics, seeing as we'll be traveling together for awhile, that's all." Rosie rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well I am right excited to be going on a trip with Estella and Diamond. You boy's go have your fun with the orc's and whatnot, while us wives sit around the campfire drinking tea and gossiping." Sam laughed loudly.

"Yes Rosie, we'll be sure to do that."

Just then, their four year old boy and six year old girl came bursting into their parent's room, giggling and squealing. They jumped up onto their bed and began bouncing around.

"We're going on a trip! We're going on a trip!" they shouted. Sam and Rosie's eyes widened.

"How did you find out?" Rosie asked.

"Merry and Pip told us!" squealed their six year old, Elanor.

"What?" Sam sputtered. "When?"

"Just now!" Elanor answered. "Me and Frodo let them in!" Sam brought his hand up to his face.

"What did your mother and I tell you about opening the door, Elanor?" he said. Elanor stopped jumping.

"It was Frodo's idea!" she squealed and ran out the door. Sam sighed.

"Best get this over with," he said, and went out to greet his friends. Rose picked up her son and followed him.

As soon as Sam rounded the corner, he was bombarded with hugs and cries of delight. He laughed nervously when he saw that his friends had brought their families.

"Sam!" the two hobbits exclaimed as their wives began conversing with Rosie. "How've you been my friend?" asked Merry.

"F-fine," Sam said, a bit overwhelmed.

"Are you ready to go?" Pippin asked. Sam looked taken aback.

"Now?" he exclaimed. Merry nodded.

"Yes," he said. "Now. It's a week's journey to Gondor, and we don't want to miss the feast. We have the ponies set up outside for the womenfolk and the children. Are you packed?" Sam was about to object when Rosie stepped in.

"Yes," she replied. To Sam, she explained, "I packed for me and the children ages ago. And you just finished. We've hired the house sitter, and so now, there is nothing more for us to do then to just be on our way." Sam sighed with defeat.

"Yes, I suppose we're ready," he said. That brought forth cheers from Merry, Pippin and the children.

"Well then, let's be off!" Pippin called. Merry took his daughter Lillian's hand and Rosie picked up their children as all nine of them walked out. They got the women situated on the short, hobbit-sized ponies, and were just about to leave when Sam smacked his forehead.

"I forgot the bags!" Sam exclaimed. This earned him laughter from the other adults as he ran in to get them. He soon returned under the multitude of luggage his wife had packed.

"Are you sure we're going to need all of this, darling?" he grunted. "We're only going for a week!"

"I'm sure," Rosie stated. "It's not just you and Frodo traveling anymore, Sam. We've got children to tend to."

"And not to mention needy women," Merry joked, which got him a well earned smack on the back of the head from his wife.

They soon got the bags stowed on the horses and began the long journey to Gondor. Soon enough, Merry and Pippin were telling stories to the children about their adventures, exaggerating bits to make it more exciting.

"And then kids," Merry began, "Your uncle Pip and I took the sword that had cut our bonds and killed all of the orc's with it! And we only had one sword between the two of us!"

Sam scoffed at the two of them. "That's not the way I heard it. I heard that you two ran for the woods as at the first chance you got and that Rohan's army killed the orc's."

"Shh!" exclaimed Pippin. "That's not what happened!"

"Ya," said Merry. "And even if that was what happened, it would've taken some great skill to get away from a battle like that; no regular hobbit could've done it."

"And we all know that the two of you are far from regular hobbits," Pippin's wife Diamond teased.

"Precisely," Pippin said. "But I'll tell you something that really did happen-"

And so it continued for the first three days. They got up, ate a breakfast or two, and traveled telling stories until lunchtime (they had to skip elevensies and tea time) and then it was traveling again until dinner. The women and children did surprisingly well, considering it was their first time out of the shire. They didn't meet anything unexpected until lunchtime on the fourth day. Merry, Sam and Pippin were enjoying a smoke, the children were playing near ponies and the women were sitting around their makeshift campfire cooking and talking.

The women's conversations went much along these lines:

"It's great to finally be meeting the men our husbands traveled with," exclaimed Estella, Merry's wife. The other two nodded.

"I'm tired of just hearing stories about 'em," Diamond agreed. "I want to see 'em for myself."

"I wonder what Gondor will be like," Rosie said. "I've never been anywhere but the Shire."

"I suppose it will be right grand," Diamond said. "Being a kingdom and all. Suppose we'll get to be like ladies of the court, seeing as we're married to heroes?"

"Diamond!" Estella cried. "No need to be getting greedy!"

"I'm just sayin-" Diamond began.

"Don't bother!" called Pippin. "She's right maddening when she doesn't get her way." Diamond gave her husband a furious look before she buried herself in her cooking, muttering things like '_he's one to talk,'_ or '_never seen what I have to put up with.'_

Meanwhile, the boy's conversation was on a similar topic.

"It'll be grand to see everyone again, after all these years," said Merry. "Haven't seen anyone since them since Aragorn's coronation."

"T'is a shame that mister Frodo isn't here with us," said Sam. "He would've loved to see everyone back together once more." The whole group got solemn after that.

Suddenly, all three of the men sensed another's presence and stood up. They drew their swords that their wives didn't know they were carrying under their cloaks.

"Kids!" Merry called. "Go to your mothers!" They didn't respond. The fathers got a panicked look in their eyes and raced over to the ponies. They were met by their fleeing, screaming children who hid behind their fathers.

"Kids, go to the campsite," Sam urged. "Quickly!" And they did. Then, the three hobbits turned to see what had scared their kids so badly. And were met, face to face, with a creature they never thought they'd see again.

**A/N: and this looked like a good place to leave off. Like I said, I am really just playing this by ear. If you catch any mistakes, please, don't hesitate to review or pm me about it. I hardly know anything about the Lord of the Rings world, so there are likely to be several mistakes along the way. Anyways, Review! And I saw an author doing this, so I figured, I might try it. I'm gonna be asking questions about the series at the end of the chapters, so here's the first one: Who's your favorite character in Lord of the Rings and why? Thanks!**

**Additional note: I had a reviewer catch me on some mistakes, and I really appreciate that. I changed some names (even though I had to keep some of the facts for the next chapter. That plus I wanted to keep their number at nine) The majority of her notes were about names, so I was able to fix that, but for this story, Minas Tirth will have to be closer to the shire then 900 miles. I do want to keep this story relatively short. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I thank the people who reviewed and followed my story from the last chapter alone. I promise it will get better. My favorite answer from the questions that I got was: ORLANDO BLOOM! I assume she meant Legolas. And thank you for the guest that reviewed telling me all the things that the last chapter got wrong. That helped a lot. Some things I kept, only because they were beneficial to my story. 900 miles to travel in a fan fiction is too much, so we're just going to stick with it will take them a week or so. Alrighty now, on with the story! new question will be posted at the bottom.**

Orcs-a whole thirteen of them were surrounding the ponies deciding whether they should kill or keep them. The group had forgotten how gruesome orcs looked. Their disgusting faces were enough to send their children running. Just the sight of them sent the little group in a daze.

Merry was the first snap out of it, and he pulled the three of them back into the shadows of the woods quickly. Hobbits were notorious for being able to keep hidden. That was most likely what had saved the children from being seen by the orcs. All three of them looked frightened, not just at the orcs, but at the vast number of them. The little group could probably take two or three, but thirteen! Even if orcs were stupid, with that many, they could afford to be.

"What do we do, Merry?" asked a frightened Pippin. Merry appeared to be thinking hard. If it were just the three of them, they would probably go rushing out and try ambushing the orcs, but they had the women and children to look after as well.

"We have to get rid of them, Pip," said Merry. "Which means we have to fight them."

"But how do we fight so many?" Pippin responded. "It'll be darn near impossible without help."

"We've got to try," Sam said. "Just think of the wives and the children. Those orcs will tear them to pieces!" Merry and Pippin nodded solemnly, and together, they slowly crept out of the dark brush. Now the three of them could hear what the orcs were saying, and it wasn't very pleasant.

"I haven't had me some pony meat in ages. What do ya say we just kill 'em?" said the ugliest orc, who was missing an eye and his ears were almost on his neck.

"No!" said another, the biggest orc. "They might be useful in re-establishing the new order." (this caused Merry, Pippin and Sam to look at each other, wide eyed and now very frightened.)

"I know, I know," said the first orc. "But can't we just eat one? There are three here."

"Wait!" said a third, the smallest orc. "These ponies have saddles and bags on them." The other orcs looked at him stupidly.

"What's your point?" asked the first.

"Well, when there is saddles and bags, there's got to be riders. Tasty riders too, by the smell." He sniffed the air. "Smells like Halflings." The other orcs sniffed the air as well, and all nodded or grunted in approval.

"Alright, we see your point. But you know the stories about Halflings, right? They're darn near impossible to find, since they're so small see."

"Hey, looky here!" called another orc. "Looky what I found!" He began to dangle Lillian's soft pink blanket up in the air for all orcs to see. "Looks like there's little Halflings as well."

If the orcs were able to see the hobbits, they would see that the father of the little girl whose blanket they held had turned bright red with fury and he was shaking with anger and hatred. Merry was seeing red. He was clutching his sword so tightly that his hands were starting to lose their feeling. But the orcs couldn't see, so there was only one thought in Merry's head; kill them.

With an angry cry, Merry rushed out in front of the orcs, despite the cries and protests from Pippin and Sam. There he stood, his sword clutched tightly in his hands and a murderous look on his face. He caught the attention of the orcs, who were looking at him strangely.

"Put. That. Down," Merry said his voice deathly calm. The orcs looked for another moment, and then they all burst out laughing. Then the orc who held the blanket stepped forward, waving it in the air.

"Why?" he mocked. "Is she yours?" Merry glared at him.

"Yes," he said, an edge creeping into his voice. The orc laughed and waved it high in the air.

"Well then," he said. "Why don't you take it from me?"

In response, Merry charged at him, swinging his sword like a madman, which, at the moment, he was. He got close enough and swung the blade, chopping off the orcs arm that held the blanket. The limp arm released the soft piece of fabric as the owner of said arm screamed. Merry grabbed the blanket and stuffed it into his pocket as the other orcs drew their swords.

At that site, Pippin and Sam raced to their friends' side. The orc on the ground was screaming and clutching his bloody stub of an arm.

"Kill them!" he screamed. With that, the orcs all ran forward, but the little hobbits met them. Soon, the three of them were shouting and hacking at the legs of the orcs, and the orcs in turn were screaming and trying to catch one of the Halflings.

The fight was going surprisingly well for the hobbits until one of the orcs managed to catch Pippin. He held him in the air by his feet as Pippin struggled and swung his sword, desperate to free himself.

"No!" shouted Merry as he saw what was happening. He ran towards Pippin only to be smacked back with a club to the forehead. Sam tried to help Pippin, but he too was thrown back with a well aimed blow to the chest.

The orcs were all laughing and growling at the defeated hobbits. Pippin's eyes widened with fear as the orcs massed around him. He shut them tightly, desperately hoping that they wouldn't find the camp after he was gone…

"I love you Diamond," he whispered.

Just then, he heard the sound of something flying through the air, and then a thud as it connected with the orc holding him. As he dropped to the ground, his eyes reopened when he heard the familiar voice shout-

"One!"

He could now see two figures running out into the clearing where the battle was taking place. The taller of the two was already pointing another arrow at an orc and the other was holding his axe in the defensive position, looking at the creatures with glee. Pippin wanted to cry with happiness at the sight of his two friends, but he couldn't do that. There were still eight more orcs to kill, and he wouldn't let his friends have all the fun. He smiled and waved at the two of them, and they smiled back in recognition. Then, he picked up his sword and went to work.

It was over very quickly. As soon as it was, Pippin ran over to his friends and hugged them tightly.

"Legolas! Gimli! Oh, how we've missed you!" the dwarf and the elf were surprised at first, but then they embraced their friend.

"Well now, laddie," Gimli said, gruffly but affectionately. "It has been a long time."

"Indeed it has," Legolas agreed. "And it is wonderful to see you again. But don't Sam and Merry need our attention?" Pippin's yelp was confirmation enough and they hurried over to their fallen friends. Pippin knelt beside them.

"Sam! Merry! Oh please get up!" he exclaimed. Legolas knelt down and felt their pulse.

"They are still alive," he assured them. "But they need medical help." Sam groaned and rolled on his back.

"Who- who's there?" he said, his eyes closed.

"Sam," Pippin said softly. "It's me, Pippin. And Legolas and Gimli are here as well!" Sam's eyes fluttered open.

"Legolas? Gimli? Is it really you?" the two of them laughed and nodded.

"Yes, my boy," answered Gimli. "It really is us."

"You should've seen them, Sam," Pippin began. "They were incredible! It was like being back in the old days."

"Speaking of which," Gimli stated. "Final count. Out of the eight that were left, I did in a mighty total of four." Legolas' eyes widened, and then he quickly fitted another arrow into his bow, aimed and fired at a fallen orc. He turned back to the group.

"Five."

Gimli growled. "That's cheating!" Legolas smirked.

"He was still alive." Gimli looked at him angrily.

"Elf, you have not known the stubbornness of dwarves until-" and so their argument continued while Pippin was trying to recover Merry, who had a nice gash above his right eyebrow. Pippin had to slap him across the face a couple of times to get him to wake up, until finally he opened his eyes.

"What happened?" asked Merry when he was finally coherent.

"Legolas and Gimli came and helped kill the rest of the orcs. If it weren't for them, we'd all be dead." Merry's eyes widened.

"Legolas and Gimli are here?" he asked. Pippin nodded excitedly. He gestured to the two of them, still bickering.

"Oy!" Pippin called. "Merry needs to get to the campfire! Legolas, can you carry him?" the elf and the dwarf halted their arguing and rushed over to help. Despite Merry's protests that he was fine, Legolas picked up the little hobbit with ease and began carrying him towards the campsite. Sam was able to stand with Gimli and Pippin's help, although it looked like the orc had broken some of his ribs. When they were far enough away from the dead orcs, Pippin called out to the women at the fire.

"Diamond! Rosie! Estella! We need water!" Legolas and Gimli looked at him strangely. They obviously didn't know about the hobbit's wives and children.

Quickly, the women rushed over to help their husbands, but stopped, gasping at the sight of them, all bloody and bashed. At the sight of Rosie, Sam quickly started to stand up straighter, trying not to alarm her, but immediately winced at the pain. The women stayed still as they were brought over to the campsite. Then, Rosie snapped them all out of their daze.

"Water, girls! Quickly!" she said. She took one look at Merry and then added, "And bring a rag. And wrappings." Gimli cleared his throat.

"Um, excuse me lassies," he said quickly. "But you might want to let us get your things from the horses. It's quite a mess over there." Legolas nodded, setting Merry down by the fire gently. The women obviously had not noticed these strange men's presences, for they gave a little jolt at Gimli's comment.

"Of course," Estella said, obviously shaken by the sight of her husband in his weakened state. "We'll fetch water from the stream nearby." The elf and dwarf nodded, and they and Pippin left to take in the horses.

The other two women could clearly see that Estella was fighting tears, but that she was trying to be strong. Rosie came up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay with him," she said. "We'll fetch the water." Estella nodded gratefully, and rushed to Merry's side.

Merry felt someone take his hand and looked up to see his wife's face gazing down lovingly at him. He smiled.

"Estella," he said. "Really, I'm fine. The boys are just making too big a fuss over this, that's all." Their daughter, seeing her mother and father safe, ran over to them.

"Lil's," Estella said. "Go with Rosie and Diamond to gather some water for papa." But Merry shook his head and took Lillian's hand.

"Daddy got this for you," he said, and reached into his pocket and pulled out her pink blanket that had started the whole ordeal. She gently took it out of his hands and held it to her cheek. Then, she snuggled up next to her father and laid her head on his arm.

"What were those things, daddy?" she asked.

"Those were orcs, sweetheart," he explained. "Remember, the monsters from the stories?"

"Those were orcs?" she said. "They were ugly." Merry and Estella laughed.

"Yes," he said. "Yes they were."

A few minutes later, Legolas, Gimli and Pippin came back with the horses. They managed to get Merry's cut cleaned up and wrapped up Sam's chest. Legolas confirmed that Sam had broken two ribs, but as soon as they got to Gondor, they could find a healer to help him. They spent the rest of the day resting and talking. The women and children, now that they knew who they were, were intrigued by Legolas and Gimli, and they asked them many questions.

"Mister Legolas?" Elanor said quietly. Legolas turned to her, smiling softly, making her blush.

"Yes Miss Elanor," he said politely. Elanor giggled and wrung her hands.

"Can you teach Lily and me how to shoot an arrow?" she asked shyly. "Daddy always said you were the best shot in all of Middle Earth." Legolas' cheeks turned a faint pink as he smiled at the compliment. Gimli interrupted gruffly.

"Wouldn't you much rather learn how to throw an axe, lassie?" he said. "Bows and arrows are a sissy weapon; not much danger in shooting an arrow at someone across a large distance. But an axe, mind you, is a fearsome weapon that shows a warriors true courage and strength!" He then reached up and grabbed Legolas' bow.

"Hey!" Legolas shouted, but Gimli was off on another one of his rants, so his protests fell on deaf ears.

"Ooh, look at me," Gimli mocked in a high pitched voice. "I'm an elf, and I'm too afraid to get close to the scary bad guys, so I'll just shoot them from a safe distance letting my golden hair flow in the wind!" He then plucked the string and shot a pretend arrow into the forest. "Oh look! I got him!" he squealed and started skipping around in a circle, earning laughs from the children. Legolas smirked at his childishness, and picked up Gimli's fallen axe. He moved his hair in front of his face to make it look like he had a beard and scowled, hunching over to make himself look shorter and wider.

"Well, look at me," he said in the gruffest voice he could muster. "I'm a grumpy old dwarf who doesn't take baths and likes to braid his beard!" The children's attention turned to Legolas and they laughed even harder. Sure enough, Gimli's beard was braided. The dwarf in question scowled.

"Yes, well at least I have a beard! And at least I don't braid my long, golden hair!" This promptly encouraged Elanor and Lily to beg him and Legolas to let them braid their hair. Legolas obliged, but it took some encouragement to get Gimli to allow it. But, soon enough, the dwarf sat down with his arms crossed. "Proceed," he said grumpily. Legolas just laughed, as Elanor had already started playing with his hair. Frodo was just happily racing back and forth between the elf and the dwarf asking them about their adventures. Gimli was still upset about being pressured into having his hair braided by two Halfling girls, but he still responded to Frodo's questions with long, hefty tales of trips all around Middle Earth.

Meanwhile, the hobbits were watching children quietly, laughing at their friends' actions. "He really is humble, isn't he," said Rosie sarcastically while listening to Gimli's exaggerated tales that caused her children so much excitement. Sam nodded.

"About as humble as those two over there," he said, and gestured to Merry and Pippin, who were busy telling their wives their own exaggerated tales about how they had defeated the orcs.

Soon enough, it was getting late. The adults and the children were beginning to nod off. At one point, Lillian and Elanor fell asleep in Gimli and Legolas' laps, at which point Legolas had carried them over to their parents. Frodo was still interested in hearing about more adventures, but eventually, he too nodded off. When all the children and the women were in bed, the old friends conversed about more pressing matters.

"Gimli and I believe that Aragorn has more of a reason to call us back together then just a celebration," Legolas explained. "We believe that another weapon has been forged."

"You mean another ring?" asked Sam, already dreading the answer. But Legolas shook his head.

"No Sam," he said. "Not a ring this time."

"Well, if not a ring, then what is it?" asked Pippin.

"A sword," said Legolas. The three hobbits looked at each other, alarmed.

"But," Merry began nervously. "New swords are forged all the time. Why should this one be any different?"

"Because this sword was enchanted," Legolas said, confirming their fears.

"How do you know of this sword?" asked Merry. "Could it be just a rumor?"

"It very well could," Legolas said. "But a sword this powerful shouldn't be doubted, and rumors about it should not be tossed aside so easily. As for how I came about this knowledge, I travel quite often, and overheard a group of merchants discussing its power. With some persuasion, I was able to coax more information out of them, and in the process have learned quite a bit about it."

"What can it do?" asked Pippin.

"Some say that it's so powerful that it can give the wielder the strength of ten men. Others say that its blade is so sharp that it can slice through other realms, giving someone access to worlds other then middle earth. Whatever its abilities, its power is unmistakable. It is also said to be in the possession of one Aragorn, son of Arathorn."

"Aragorn," murmured the hobbits.

"But why should we care?" asked Pippin. "What is so bad about this blade that would cause us to have to find it?"

Legolas looked at him gravely. "It matters, Peregrin Took, because the sword has been stolen."

**A/N: I told a reviewer and my sister that there wouldn't be a cliffy in this chapter. I guess I lied, but this isn't such a big cliff hanger. Anyway, thanks for reviewing the last chapter. I really appreciate the last guest review. Any more mistakes you catch, please let me know. Question: How has Lord of the Rings impacted your life? Alrighty now. Ta, ta!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Really? No reviews, accept for my sister, who seems to be my most faithful reviewer. Well, thanks Morgan. She answered the question in a pm message, but I seem to have lost it. So, I will just say, lord of the rings has impacted my life by showing me that there are more incredible stories that I haven't read yet. And that my mom can be right sometimes. Alright. New question will be posted at the bottom. Enjoy **

**Ps. And the elven song near the end is called Elven Lullaby by NoctorneAngel on deviantART. Look up the full song. I don't own it, nor do I own Lord of the Rings.**

"Stolen!" shouted Merry who was immediately hushed by the others. "By who?"

"Well, that's the problem," answered Legolas. "We don't know who. We're hoping Aragorn will know, because as you can probably realize, this weapon would be very dangerous in the wrong hands."

The little group was starting to get tired. Gimli yawned loudly. "Enough talk of mystical swords and death and danger. It's been a long day. Let's all get some shut eye."

Legolas nodded. "Agreed," he said. By now they were all yawning and stretching. The three hobbits went to their respective tents and immediately fell asleep beside their families. Legolas and Gimli found a space by the tents to lie down and rest. Lying on their backs, they had a clear view of the stars. They lay there for several minutes, neither one of them being able to go to sleep, both of them thinking. Finally, Gimli broke the silence.

"Do you happen to know this mighty sword's name, laddie?" he asked. Legolas nodded.

"Yes," he said. "It is called Poldora."

"Well, what's that mean?"

"In Elvish, it means strength. I suppose it is fitting."

"So, where do you suppose this sword might be?" asked Gimli.

Legolas did not answer for a long time. Gimli thought he had fallen asleep. So when the elf finally did answer, it surprised him.

"Gimli, even if I told you where I thought it would be, you wouldn't believe me."

The dwarf huffed and sat up on his elbows so that he could see his friend. "After all we've been through, you still doubt me?" Legolas shook his head.

"It's not that," he explained.

"Well what is it then?" asked Gimli. Legolas sighed and sat up, not looking at Gimli.

"It just sounds crazy, even to me," he said. "It really is just a hunch." Gimli grunted something incoherent, but with Legolas' puzzled look, he repeated it.

"Always trust your gut," he said firmly. "That's what I always say."

Legolas smirked and turned back to face his friend. "You do no such thing!" Gimli scowled.

"Yes I do!" he exclaimed. Legolas rolled his eyes fondly at the dwarf's childishness, but he dropped the subject. They were silent for several seconds, and it was Gimli once again who spoke first.

"So, uh, what does this hunch of yours tell ya?" Legolas frowned, and a look of uncertainty clouded his normally pristine features.

"That Sauron has it," he answered quietly.

Gimli gasped and nearly fell over. "S-Sauron?" he murmured. "But, he's dead!" Legolas nodded.

"I know," he said. "That's why it sounds crazy."

"Do you have any, you know, proof? To back up this claim?" Legolas shook his head.

"No," he said. "That's why it's just a hunch." Gimli looked concerned.

"Is that why you didn't tell the hobbits?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Legolas softly. "That and I didn't want to worry them, after the day they've just had." Gimli gave an understanding nod, and then yawned.

"Well," he began. "I suppose it doesn't do us much good, worrying about it tonight. We have the rest of the trip to be worrying, so we best be getting some shut eye ourselves." Legolas nodded in agreement.

"Of course," he said, and watched as Gimli lay down and maneuvered himself into a more comfortable position. Then he lay down, staring up at the sky.

"G'night," mumbled the dwarf sleepily. Legolas smiled.

"Good night to you, Gimli."

The next morning, everyone, including Legolas and Gimli, were woken up by the excited Halfling children, who were more than ready to continue their journey. So, they ate and got packed. Sam, Merry and Legolas brought the ponies to the campsite, because they had not dealt with the dead orcs. Gimli suggested that they burn them, but Merry didn't want anything else to do with them, so they just left them there. Soon enough, they were off. Almost immediately Legolas and Gimli started arguing about something minor, and Merry and Pippin were showing off. Everything was back to normal.

Nothing eventful happened in the next several days it took to get to Gondor, or at least nothing worth explaining in detail. The children continued to be delighted by Legolas and Gimli's stories, pressing them for details. Legolas sang songs from his homeland as lullabies, and Gimli told them legends and myths from his. It was a wonderful trip by day for everyone involved, save Sam and Merry who were still healing. Though, at night, a serious aura took over the men as they discussed matters of the mystical sword by the firelight's glow after everyone else had gone to bed.

Legolas managed to fix up Merry and Sam's injuries as best he could, and where Merry was mostly healed by now, Sam had a large bruise on his chest and he was hunched over to ease his pain. Legolas was afraid that the ribs wouldn't heal properly, so he wrapped Sam's chest tightly in bandages, and it seemed to work for the most part. So they continued on.

However enjoyable the trip was, it was a relief to finally cross the border into Gondor after spending several days in the wilderness. They had made the decision not to stop in any towns along the way for fear of being recognized. The fellowship had made powerful enemies on their quest of the ring, including many that they didn't even know about. They didn't want to risk it, especially now that Poldara's location was unknown. Unfortunately, because of this, they were very low on supplies, so when Minas Tirith came into view, the little group could be seen rejoicing. When they finally reached the gates, everyone was incredibly excited, not just at being able to see Aragorn again, but at the prospect of a well cooked meal and warm beds.

As they were walking through the city, several people recognized them and began cheering. Apparently their impact on the kingdom had been larger than they thought. The children reveled in it, blowing kisses and waving to members of the newly forming crowd. At one point, Diamond leaned over to Estella and whispered, "A woman could get used to this," at which point Estella only smiled.

When they finally reached the castle, a large crowd had gathered around them. Many were throwing flowers. Sam managed to catch a rose, and he handed it to his wife.

"For the most beautiful rose in my life," he said lovingly, attempting a bow, but his chest hurt too much. Instead he just kissed her hand, causing her to blush fiercely. She tore off the thorny stem and fastened it in her blond curls as the little group continued on into the inner walls of Minas Tirith.

Servants came and took their ponies as the group made their way up the stairs to the big wooden doors. Suddenly, the large doors opened, and standing there smiling was none other than the king of Gondor himself.

"Aragorn!" shouted Sam, Merry and Pippin, and together they attacked him in a hug that had they been human sized would've knocked him over, but they were not, so it didn't. Sam was careful of his injuries, and merely winced when Aragorn knelt down and hugged them back tightly.

"Sam! Merry! Pippin!" Aragorn exclaimed. "I am so glad you all made it! It has been far too long, my friends, far too long." They all stepped back to get a good look at him.

Aragorn had defiantly aged since they last saw him, and he had traces of grey in his hair and beard, wrinkles on his forehead and crow's feet around his eyes, which showed that he was happy. However, there were worry lines above his brow, which showed that something pressing was bothering him.

Sam smiled widely up at his old friend. "Indeed it has mister Aragorn, sir," he agreed. Then, the hobbits stepped back to allow their other friends to get a chance to greet him. There were to be no formalities in this meeting.

As Aragorn stood up, the elf and man locked eyes, and it was impossible to tell who smiled wider.

"Legolas!" exclaimed Aragorn and he embraced his friend.

"It's good to see you again," said Legolas. They both withdrew, and gripped the other's forearm in a manlier greeting.

"And you as well," Aragorn said, his face serious, but with a slight glimmer in his eye. Legolas nodded and stepped aside to reveal the dwarf, who was smiling up the king. Aragorn smiled back.

"Gimli," he said, as he again had to kneel down to hug his friend.

"Bless you, laddie!" Gimli called out happily. "Far too long it has been, as we all seem to keep saying."

Aragorn laughed. "I think that means something." They both drew back as Gimli nodded furiously.

"Indeed, it does!" he exclaimed. It was then that Aragorn caught sight of the female hobbits, who were all standing in the courtyard nervously, unsure of what to do.

"And who might these lovely ladies be?" Aragorn asked curiously. "I don't believe we've met." The husbands of said women were all feeling mighty foolish, leaving their wives out in the courtyard like that. They rushed to their family's side.

"These lovely hobbits," Merry explained. "Are our wives and children." At this information, Aragorn's eyes widened.

"I had no idea," he said, at which time he walked down the steps and knelt before the hobbits.

"I am honored to make your acquaintance," he said politely. "Your husband's have told me of the beauty of the Shire, but I never knew that they meant its women." At this comment, Diamond, Rosie and Estella all blushed and giggled. He then caught sight of the little ones, who were previously hiding behind their mothers. They were so small that he didn't notice them at first; they were merely the size of a baby, although he could see that they were in fact young children. He smiled brightly.

"And who might you be?" he asked Elanor. Sam stepped forward proudly, wincing slightly because of his ribs.

"This is my oldest, Elanor the fair," he said. He then pulled on Frodo's hand, for he was still hiding behind Rosie. "And this," he said. "Is Frodo, my son." Aragorn's eyes widened, but he quickly hid his surprise.

"Frodo is it?" he asked. Frodo nodded shyly. Aragorn ruffled his hair. "You, my friend, have the name of a brave and loyal hobbit." To Sam he asked, "Has he met him?" Sam nodded.

"When he was a little baby," he said sadly. "But he wouldn't remember."

Aragorn smiled softly. "He looks like him," he commented, which made Sam smile proudly. And it was true. He had the same brown mop of curly hair on the top of his head that their old friend had, and his brown eyes were large and full of wonder. Aragorn smiled at the boy kindly. He then turned to Lillian, who was not hiding behind anyone.

"And what's your name?" he asked her. She stared up at him boldly.

"Lillian Brandybuck, daughter of Meridoc and Estella Brandybuck, resident of the Shire," she said. Aragorn smiled at her formalities and looked at Merry, who shrugged as if to say 'I didn't teach her that.'

"Well," he said. "That is a very long name. Do you mind if I just call you Lillian?" She thought for a moment, and then said,

"That will do." Aragorn laughed.

"Well thank you Lillian," he said.

Pippin rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Well, now that that's over with, where's the little prince? We've all been dying to meet him!" Now it was Aragorn's turn to smile proudly.

"Right this way, ladies and gentlemen," he said, but Legolas stopped him.

"Aragorn," he said solemnly. "Sam needs a healer, and it would be a good idea for someone to look at Merry's forehead." At this, Aragorn whirled around and saw that Legolas was right. He hadn't even noticed that his friends were injured, but now that he knew he could clearly see it. Merry's was obvious, for he had a bandage on his forehead and Sam was a bit hunched over, like his chest pained him. He felt so stupid! His senses weren't as sharp as they used to be. In fact, they were rather dull. He rushed over to aid his friends.

"Merry, Sam," he said quickly. "What happened? Why are you hurt?" But they quickly shook it off as nothing.

"Mister Aragorn, sir, if you could just take us to a healer," Sam said. "We'll tell you later." Then he smiled. "Go show everyone your son."

Aragorn's worry was not stopped, but he smiled and put a hand Sam's shoulder.

"Good man," he said, and sent for a healer while he led them all to their rooms. However, they all converged in Sam and Rosie's room to wait.

"A healer will be here momentarily," he said. "As well as a man to bring in your bags. You two just rest."

Sam nodded. "Will do, mister Aragorn." Aragorn turned to the rest of the group.

"If you will allow me to get my wife, we can show you our son," Aragorn said. "And then at dinner I have a surprise for you all." The women all smiled at him, excited at the prospect of seeing a baby.

"Oh yes," they exclaimed. "What's the little tyke's name?"

Aragorn grinned widely. "Eldarion," he said, and he left the women cooing over the prospect of seeing a human child.

Almost immediately after he left, the healer appeared. Sam told them what happened and showed them his bruise. "Legolas said I broke two ribs," he said. "He fixed it up as best he could, but he was afraid they wouldn't set right."

"He was right to be worried," said the healer. "But fortunately they are setting fine. I can give you some herbs to dull the pain, but otherwise just keep it wrapped up and it'll mend nicely." Sam smiled his thanks.

"Thank you very much, sir," he said. "But my friend is hurt as well." Sam showed him to Merry.

The healer took a look at his forehead. "I suppose I should give him some herbs for infection, but it looks like it's healed nicely. Give it a week or two and it will be just a faded mark."

Merry smirked at his friends. "See!" he exclaimed. "I told you it wasn't that bad!"

"And we are glad you are correct, Merry," Legolas said. Gimli nodded in agreement.

"Eye, laddie," he said. "We're mighty glad."

Not a minute later, the man with the bags from the ponies arrived to drop them off. Each member took his or her respective bag and went to their room to get themselves situated. Less than ten minutes later, after they had all converged back in Sam and Rosie's room, Aragorn came back with his smiling beautiful wife, Arwen, who was carrying a small bundle of blankets. Everyone immediately got quiet. Aragorn was beaming as he entered the room.

"This is my wife, Princess Arwen of Rivendell," he introduced her to the hobbit women and children, for the others had already met her, however briefly. The men all bowed. "And this is my son, Eldarion, prince of both Gondor and Rivendell, at least by blood." At the sound of his name, the little baby stirred and began to whimper softly. Everyone gathered around Arwen, but were careful not to crowd her. She knelt down to show the Halflings and Gimli, and Legolas and Aragorn had to kneel down with her.

"He's not but three weeks old," Arwen said softly.

Eldarion was still a bit pink, but already you could see a lot of his mother in him. For one, his ears were a bit pointy, and he had her soft features and black hair. But his eyes were his fathers, a deep and friendly brown.

"He's beautiful," Rosie said. All of the others nodded in agreement.

"You all are the first to see him," Aragorn admitted. "Besides Lord Elrond and his nurse. Two lines of royal families will make it dangerous for him as he grows up. We can't be too careful. I can never let anything happen to him. He's only been here for a few weeks, but already I don't know what I'd do without him, or if anything happened to him."

Sam and Merry both nodded in agreement. They knew firsthand what Aragorn was going through. Merry thought about what had happened when his precious Lillian was threatened. No father should ever have to go through something happening to his child.

Arwen put her free hand on his. "And hopefully we never have to know what that's like," she said comfortingly, although they both knew that that wouldn't be the case. Then she looked at the remaining members of the Fellowship.

"Would you like to hold him?" she asked. Almost immediately, Gimli and Pippin stepped back.

"Afraid I might drop him," exclaimed Pippin. "It's happened before." Aragorn smiled, and both Merry and Sam shuddered at the memory.

"At least the child didn't have a long way to fall," he joked. Pippin laughed nervously. They looked to Gimli, who shook his head.

"Same as him," he explained. Arwen looked to Legolas, who nodded, almost shyly. She carefully handed her child over to him, and he took Eldarion as if he might fall apart at any moment. Arwen laughed.

"He's not going to break," she chuckled. "Just support his head and back." And so the elf did. He slowly stood up, gazing at the little boy, who softly began to cry. Arwen moved to take him back and ease his crying, but Legolas took the child in one arm and rubbed his forehead with his free hand, while singing softly in Elvish.

"_Slumra, sov, mitt vackra barn  
Sov under djupa stjärnevalv  
Se hur drömmarna spinner sitt garn  
Och dess glitter när månen är halv,"_

Arwen began to remember the lullaby and started singing with him, picking up the harmony to his deep melody. Slowly, Eldarion began to stop crying, and he, along with everyone else, was enchanted by the elves voices. Elanor started to ask her father what they were singing, but she started to feel her eyes getting heavy. Indeed, everyone appeared to have fallen under their spell. Aragorn seemed somewhat immune to it, probably because his wife had sung several other elvish songs to him, and he was accustomed to their power. So he was able to continue to listen, for he understood the meaning of the song.

"_Dansa med stjärnor över moln och dimma  
I virvlar som ingen kan se  
Dansa med flickan som i drömmen du vinna  
Och giv löften som ingen kan ge."_

By the end of the lullaby, Eldarion had fallen asleep, and everyone else was close to it. Aragorn walked over to Legolas, who had been moving across the room, gently soothing Eldarion with the movement. He put a hand on his friends shoulder, jerking Legolas out of his trance. When Legolas saw who it was, he smiled. Aragorn smiled back.

"You'll make a wonderful father someday, my friend," Aragorn whispered. Legolas smile turned sheepish as he gently handed Eldarion off to his father.

"Someday, I suppose," he murmured, more to himself then to Aragorn.

Aragorn turned around and saw that everyone was nearly asleep. He gave Eldarion to Arwen and then snapped his fingers loudly in front of each hobbit and dwarf, jolting them awake.

"Wake up!" he exclaimed. "That lullaby was meant for my son, not for you all." They all turned to look at Legolas, who smiled apologetically.

"I wasn't sleeping!" Gimli exclaimed, embarrassed that he had almost been lulled to sleep by an elf. Legolas laughed.

"Of course you weren't," he said sarcastically, causing everyone to laugh.

"Now," Aragorn continued. "My son is not the only surprise I have for you. If you would all get ready for dinner, there is another thing I have to show you that I think you would enjoy." And then, he and Arwen moved to the rooms exit, leaving them to ponder what the surprise was while they waited for dinner. On his way out, however, Gimli snagged his arm.

"There are urgent things we need to discuss with you, Aragorn," he said quietly, so as not to be overheard. Aragorn nodded.

"And I you," he said. "But both things will have to wait until after dinner, when we can talk privately." Gimli nodded.

"I suppose you're right," he said. He allowed Aragorn to leave, and then ventured into his own chambers to ready himself for whatever surprise Aragorn had in store.

. . .

That night at dinner was an exciting and eventful one. The hobbit women and children were allowed to join in the festivities, and they ate, sang and danced for what seemed like hours. The hall was wonderfully decorated with bright lights, tapestries and paintings. Everyone was delighted by the company and the evening weather couldn't have been better. If one went out into the courtyard, they would see a clear, black sky with the moon a multitude of stars lighting up the darkness.

Everyone was curious as to what the surprise was, but Aragorn was not telling. It didn't matter how much alcohol they managed to get in him; Gondor's king would not say a thing. What was strange was that they'd never seen Aragorn this happy. It was likely that his son, the surprise or both that was putting him in a celebratory mood. And frankly, it was about time.

Finally, when it was close to the time that the little hobbit children should be in bed, Merry, Pippin and Sam couldn't take it anymore.

"Just tell us!" exclaimed Pippin. Aragorn laughed heartily.

"Must you know?" he asked. Aragorn was beginning to get a little tipsy, but not enough that it would impair his skills if they were attacked.

"Yes!" the hobbits all called. Aragorn's laughter subsided, and he held a small, but confident smile on his face. Arwen grinned at her husband. She hadn't drunk any wine that night, so her senses were sharp. But she was still in an excited mood.

"Should we tell them, Aragorn?" she asked. It had been revealed early on in the night that she knew what the surprise was, but the group knew better then to push her for answers. Aragorn nodded to her, and then turned back to the group, his confident smile back in place.

"Alright then," he said, and stood up. "Wait here." Then, he walked through the large oak doors of the great hall that led to the outside, and closed them partway behind him, leaving the group with a small glimpse of the outside.

Aragorn was gone for several minutes. The fellowship was beginning to worry about him, and Merry and Gimli suggested that they go out looking for him, but Arwen assured them that it was supposed to take this long. And sure enough, within another minute, Aragorn's face had appeared in the gap. His confident smile was still there.

"Would you like to see the surprise?" he asked. By now everyone, including a normally composed Legolas was on the edge of their seat.

"Yes!" shouted Merry and Pippin. Aragorn looked at them and rapped on the door with his knuckles. He pushed the doors as wide as they could go and rushed inside.

As soon as he was far enough away from the entrance, the winds started to pick up. The gusts were getting louder and faster and they whipped the group's hair all about. Suddenly, a bright, glowing purple line appeared right in front of the doorway. As the fellowship and friends watched in awe, the line got wider and it seemed to split in two, creating a gash in the air. But instead of seeing the old white tree on the other side, all they could see was blackness. And suddenly, there was a bright flash inside of the gash (or a rip, as some might call it). And then, right before their eyes, a figure appeared. It was the familiar figure of an old man with a long white beard. The group looked on in astonishment.

"Gandalf?" Pippin murmured.

Suddenly, there was another figure, much shorter than the first. At first all they could see was his outline, but as the image became clearer, there was no mistaking his face anywhere. The fellowship all rose to their feet to the confusion of their wives and children. But they didn't care. They couldn't believe their eyes.

Frodo Baggins had come back to Middle Earth.

**A/N: I believe that was one of the longest chapters I've ever written. Not the longest, that one holds out for fifteen pages on word, and that only happened because I was so extremely into it. But this is certainly one of them. I really liked writing this chapter; accept for the last two paragraphs, which, description wise, was a huge challenge. I'm listening to Lord of the Rings musical number 'Epilogue (farewells)' as I write this. I have been holding up for that last line this entire story so far. Did you like the part with Legolas and the lullaby (which, by the way, I never could've come up with on my own, the English lyrics are posted on deviantART)? Aragorn's greetings? His son? Please, I want feedback of what I should include and what I should've left out (there is an edit button on this thing). Alright. Here is the question. If you could have lunch with J.R. Tolkien, what is one question you would ask him? **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: My favorite answer I got was, 'I would ask him how he became such a genius!' that was from 16. And I know this chapter is super short, not even a page, but I wanted to at least get something up for keeping it so long and I didn't want it to be just an A/N. so, sorry.**

* * *

No one had been expecting this. Frodo was gone; he'd left for the undying lands by his own choice. The fellowship (especially the hobbits) missed him terribly, but everyone agreed that he hadn't been the same since he came back from Mordor. He had changed, as they all had, since they first went on the journey. Accept that, unlike them, he didn't adjust very well when they got back. His mind had been taken over by the ring, and while he had no longer been obsessed, he wasn't the same. He built his walls high. But there had still been moments where the old Frodo shined through. When he was laughing with his friends, when he saw Sam's child for the first time, and at every wedding, and joy filled celebration he seemed to forget his worries.

However, in this moment, no one could remember what Frodo had been through, or that it was his choice to leave. Right now, the fact that Frodo Baggins was standing in the large, ornate doorway was the only thing on their minds. And within moments, the hobbit in question felt himself engulfed in a hug so tight, he could barely breathe. Sam had nearly leapt over the table to get to his old friend. Frodo looked surprised, but quickly embraced Sam.

"Frodo," Sam choked. "Is it really you?" Frodo laughed in his shoulder.

"Yes, my dear Sam," he said. "It really is me." They stood that way for several seconds, no one wanting to interrupt them, each of them feeling that they were about to start crying from happiness. Finally, Sam stepped back and quickly tried to hide the fact that he'd been crying into Frodo's shoulder.

"It's good to see you again, Sam," said Frodo.

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Frodo," Sam said, his eyes glistening.

* * *

**A/N: again, so sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but no more cliffy! I'll try to post as soon as I can, but you know me... Until then, chao!**


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